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The latest maritime clash in the contested waters took place in the early hours of Tuesday, when three China Coast Guard vessels “blocked and water cannoned” two Philippine supply boats en route to Second Thomas Shoal, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. of the Philippines said in a statement published online. Locsin said “no one was hurt,” but the boats were forced to abort their mission to resupply a small contingent of the Philippine Marine Corps stationed on the atoll, which the Philippines calls Ayungin Shoal and has occupied since 1999....

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that “solemn representations” were made to U.S. and Japanese officials in Beijing, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., following a bilateral meeting between Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori. Mori hosted Sherman—number two at the State Department—in Tokyo on Tuesday, with a subsequent joint statement directly indicting China for its attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China seas....

Shame has always been a dreaded force in China—and now it has Beijing’s leaders scrambling to save face amid the country’s multiplying food-, drug- and product-safety scandals. In centuries past, the Chinese emperor’s No. 1 responsibility was to guarantee that his subjects were adequately fed. Only then did he earn the “mandate of heaven” that justified his reign. And this in essence has been the Communist Party’s bargain with China since the days of Deng Xiaoping: in return for accepting a sometimes brutal regime, the people would be allowed to prosper....

At a Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention press conference held in Beijing on Thursday, Wu Zunyou revealed the “Indian variant” had been found in “some Chinese cities,” without elaborating. The news has sparked intense discussion online about stricter border controls amid the five-day Labor Day break beginning Saturday. The country where COVID-19 was first reported some 16 months ago is preparing to step up public health measures in order to allay fears of a fresh outbreak caused by the “double mutant” strain B....

The daily transported air passenger numbers rose 7.9 percent this month from March, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday. There are still far fewer people flying on Chinese airlines compared to a year ago, the CAAC said. The country’s number of daily flights increased by just 1 percent in April to 6,586, amounting to just 42 percent of daily flights before the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported....

Such issues were on Zhu’s mind. That came clear when he answered a question on why China’s leaders reserve the right to use force in Taiwan by citing Abraham Lincoln as a model leader who used force to keep his country unified. And it was even more obvious when Chinese officials got so rattled by “Free Tibet” protests that they threatened Zhu would boycott a privately hosted gala dinner Friday unless Tibetan activist Lodi Gyari did not attend....

“It’s mainly an issue relating to the difference on the election,” Zhang Jun said, according to the Associated Press. “The political parties should be able to find a solution on that. So that’s why China prefers…more diplomatic efforts.” Zhang added that China is strongly backing efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the U.N.’s special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, to prevent further violence or the possibility of a Myanmar civil war....

Yang Jiechi, a senior Chinese diplomat who serves as the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, said China does not plan to challenge the political system of the U.S. He called for cooperation between the two nations in an article published by the People’s Daily, a mouthpiece of the Chinese community party. However, Yang also asserted that China would not accept challenges to its government structure....

The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals, which do not equate to specific constellations, as in the Western astrological tradition. Instead, the repeating 12-year cycle—rotating through Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig—is based in ancient astronomical observations of Jupiter’s approximately 12-year orbit of the sun. The exact origins of the Chinese zodiac are unknown, but associations between animals and years developed were codified during the Han Dynasty—sometime between the second century B....

Pelosi’s official itinerary only includes confirmed visits to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore—all allies of the United States in the region. While there has been significant speculation and calls for the top House Democrat, who represents California, to visit Taiwan, a stop in the country is only a tentative possibility. Tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan have been high for decades, with concern about a potential conflict ever in the background of the two superpowers routinely fraught relationship....

Earnhardt. The No. 1 and No. 42 Sprint Cup teams, which were run the last five years under the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates banner, will now return to their former name: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. The sign outside the North Carolina shop already has been changed, and stickers on the cars and patches on the driver and crew uniforms will carry the Chip Ganassi logo instead of the EGR logo....

SN’s Ross Tucker says Kelly deserves credit for two NFL trends heading into the 2014 season: uptempo offense and increased play-action passing. ROSS TUCKER: Playoff predictions | Surprise teams | Why Seattle won’t repeat “We saw the success that Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles had one year ago; now this preseason we’ve seen several more teams have started to go to that uptempo offense,” Tucker told SN host Sara Jane Harris....

At the summit, Chirac quarreled over whether NATO would help train Iraqi security forces in Iraq or not, and opposed an American proposal to deploy NATO’s strike force in Afghanistan for fall elections. But he saved his most caustic comments for Bush, who had earlier promoted Turkey’s admission to the European Union in a public speech. “He ventured into territory which is not his concern,” Chirac said archly. “It would be like me telling the U....

Stoke 9/4 for a top half finish The Cameroon international was available after leaving Bundesliga side Schalke at the end of his contract, having scored 18 league goals in his three seasons at the club. The 28-year-old wide player, who can also be deployed as a striker, follows Darren Fletcher, Kurt Zouma and Josh Tymon in signing for Stoke during the transfer window. Bayern rejected Neymar for €24m “I am just so happy to join the Stoke City family and have this opportunity to play in the English Premier League for the first time,” said Choupo-Moting....

Avila is currently set to become the first fighter to represent Diaz’s Real Fight Inc. when he faces social media star, Dr.Mike, on October 29. The pair will fight on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva with plans for the promotion to host their own pay-per-view in the coming months. Diaz, who is now a free agent, is interested in making the switch to boxing following the conclusion of his UFC contract....

JTG had two runs in WWE alongside the late Shad Gaspard as the popular tag team Cryme Tyme. JTG was a guest on this week’s edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s UnSKripted. The former WWE Superstar was asked about his experiences with Chris Benoit in WWE. JTG said that Benoit was one of the first people to come up to him backstage and give him advice: JTG on his favorite moment from his WWE career JTG was later asked about the favorite moment he had from his career....

Chris Bey has established himself as one of the top names in IMPACT with some stellar in-ring performances along with his Bullet Club association. He is a huge admirer of Christian Cage, who is regarded as one of the smartest wrestling brains in the industry today. When Captain Charisma returned to IMPACT in 2021, Bey didn’t miss out on the opportunity to seek his help. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, the former X-Division Champion spoke about picking the veteran’s brain:...

Christie was part of a group of lawmakers who contracted COVID-19 while working in and around the White House in September and October. As part of President Donald Trump’s debate prep team, Christie had been in close quarters with the president. Christie announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a nomination ceremony for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in September. Christie also attended the event, where both Trump and Christie were observed not wearing face masks....

During Notre Dame’s Sweet 16 matchup with Wisconsin, Christie was caught dumping a bag of M&Ms into a box … full of M&Ms. The original photo has been retweeted an absurd abount of times. MORE: Presidential campaign slogans for every NFL team Now, a week later, Christie was compelled to defend his M&M consumption and called WFAN’s “Boomer and Carton” to state his case and explain the bag of M&Ms actually came in the box....

Following the events of 2019’s climactic Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder sees the return of Hemsworth as the God of Thunder while he is in search of inner peace and his true identity this time around. However, when a new enemy emerges, Thor is forced to recruit many allies in order to prevent the Galactic threat from eliminating all gods. RELATED: Thor: Love And Thunder’s First Reactions Are In & Here’s What Critics Are Saying...